The Holler sits down with Kamal Bell — farmer, activist, and founder of Sankofa Farms, one of North Carolina’s most groundbreaking community agriculture projects.

Kamal shares how growing up in Durham opened his eyes to food deserts, why unequal access to healthy food is no accident, and what it takes to build real solutions instead of waiting on policymakers. From food justice to community power, he breaks down the systems that created the crisis — and how Sankofa is rewriting the script.

Kamal unpacks:
• Why food deserts exist
• How Sankofa Farms is building a sustainable, community-led food system
• The role of agriculture in Black self-determination
• What the Sankofa Agricultural Academy teaches young men about leadership and resilience
• Why food access is political — and why it doesn’t have to stay that way

The Holler sits down with David A. Graham — staff writer at The Atlantic and author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America.David breaks down why dictators love elections, why 2026 may actually be the most important election of our lifetime, and how North Carolina has quietly become the canary in the coal mine. From ICE raids to gerrymandering, media intimidation, and “competitive authoritarianism,” he lays out the full playbook of how far-right extremists could set the stage for voter suppression and election denial long before a single vote is cast.David unpacks:• The possibility of federal agents seizing voting machines• Military or law enforcement being used to intimidate voters• NC’s new election laws and Board of Elections takeover• How doubt — not fraud — has become the most powerful weapon• How media pressure, show trials, and selective prosecutions silence opposition• What NC’s ICE operation revealed about 2026• Why young people’s rapid mobilization may be the most hopeful sign• What everyday people can do right now — and why it matters💡 Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE for more deep dives into North Carolina politics — and why what happens here echoes nationwide.🎙 For less than the price of a Diet Mountain Dew, you can help us build a better North Carolina. Become a Patron today @ https://www.patreon.com/TheHometownHoller

The Holler sits down with Sydney Batch — NC Senate Democratic Leader, family law attorney, social worker, breast cancer survivor, and one of the fiercest voices in Raleigh. From the 146 days and counting without a state budget to the looming multi-billion-dollar fiscal cliff, she breaks down exactly why North Carolina is stuck — and how GOP infighting, reckless tax cuts, and legislative dysfunction brought us here. She explains what’s truly at stake for working families, public schools, foster care, teachers, and state employees who are being forced to survive 2025 on 2023 dollars.

For less than the price of a Diet Mountain Dew, you can help us build a better North Carolina. Become a Patron today @ https://www.patreon.com/TheHometownHoller

Comedian and activist Cliff Cash joins the Holler for a wide-open conversation about God, family, Trump, Southern politics, and the craft of stand-up comedy. Cliff talks about growing up in a Christian conservative home, his political awakening, building his life in North Carolina, disinformation, and why he believes everyday people—not politicians—will save our democracy. He also shares stories from the road, the evolution of his comedy, and how he went from Recycling Royalty to Comedy King.

For less than the price of a Diet Mountain Dew, you can support the Holler on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/TheHometownHoller

The Holler sits down with Dr. Connie Book, President of Elon University, for a conversation about what’s really happening on our college campuses — and why it matters to all of us.

Dr. Book talks about leading a university in a time when free speech, protest, and belonging are under the microscope. We dig into what it means to disagree without dehumanizing, how to keep classrooms open to every viewpoint, and what the next generation is teaching us about courage and curiosity.

She also shares stories from her time at The Citadel — including going through bootcamp at Fort Knox — and what those experiences taught her about leadership, chaos, and keeping your head when the world gets loud.

The Hometown Holler is made possible by the generous support of our monthly sustainers. If you find our work valuable, we invite you to consider becoming a sustainer on Patreon. Join our community and help us keep hollerin' --- https://www.patreon.com/TheHometownHoller

This week, the Holler sits down with Reed Galen—veteran GOP strategist turned democracy defender, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, founder of The Union, and host of The Home Front podcast.

Reed opens up about his decades inside Republican politics—from running campaigns for John McCain, George W. Bush, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, to walking away from the party when Trumpism took hold. He talks war stories from the campaign trail, what really happened inside the McCain–Palin operation, and why he believes both parties helped create today’s political crisis.

We dig into the collapse of trust in democracy, why working-class voters are abandoning the left, and how Democrats keep losing the messaging war. Reed doesn’t hold back on the failures of the establishment, the rise of MAGA, and what it’ll take to rebuild a politics rooted in belief, honesty, and results—not purity tests or platitudes.

Connect with Reed at https://substack.com/@reedgalen

The Hometown Holler is made possible by the generous support of our monthly sustainers. If you find our work valuable, we invite you to consider becoming a sustainer on Patreon. Tap here to join our community and help us keep hollerin'!

A ghost cat, a lost hand, and a haunted mill — welcome to The Hometown Holler Halloween Special! Every Tar Heel town has a story. Liz Z. Pardue just happens to know all the ones that’ll keep you up at night. Liz joins The Holler to share the folklore behind our state's haunted past, why storytelling still matters in the digital age, and what local history can teach us about ourselves. From ghost cats to Blackbeard, this episode's got plenty of tricks and treats!

Connect with Liz on social media @liz.z.pardue

The Holler’s growing fast—and we’re just getting started! Click here to join our community of monthly sustainers. With your support, we can keep building a better North Carolina, one conversation at a time.

We thank them for their service — but do we understand their lives?Maria Donnelly and Katy Stevick join The Hometown Holler for a conversation about service, sacrifice, and the unseen struggles of America’s military families.As co-founders of the Military Family Foundation, Maria and Katy open up about life as Army spouses — from constant moves and financial strain to the resilience and community that hold it all together. They share how their personal experiences turned into a mission to reform how our nation supports the families who serve, revealing why so many military spouses face unemployment, food insecurity, and systemic barriers that could be fixed with simple policy changes.They also reflect on friendship, finding home wherever you land, and why community might just be the most powerful form of national defense we have.

Connect with Katy and Maria at https://www.militaryfamilyfoundation.com/Help keep North Carolina hollerin’ — become a Friend of the Holler on Patreon today.

She’s running again — and this time, it’s personal. Beth Kennett joins The Holler to talk about why she’s stepping up once more to run for mayor of Burlington, North Carolina — and what it means to lead, listen, and fight for the community you love.Beth opens up about her journey from minister to mayoral candidate, the lessons she’s learned from losing by just 170 votes, and how she’s channeling that experience into a campaign built on listening, inclusion, and change.She also reflects on what it means to be a woman in politics, the ripple effects of local leadership, and why Burlington’s pickleball controversy says so much about who gets heard — and who doesn’t — in local government.For more Tar Heel deep dives and quick hits, subscribe to The Hometown Holler and follow us on social media:Follow us on Instagram & help us keep the lights on by becoming a Friend of the Holler

She’s back! One of our most requested guests — NYT columnist Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom — returns to The Hometown Holler for a conversation about belonging, memory, and the stories we tell ourselves about America. Tressie takes us inside Winston-Salem’s Black Panthers, unpacks the rise of disaster nationalism, and explains the difference between nostalgia and memory — and why that difference matters more than ever. She also breaks down why calling Trump an “idiot” completely misses the point, what the Left gets wrong about understanding his appeal, and what it really takes to build a sense of belonging in modern America. For more Tar Heel deep dives and quick hits, subscribe to follow us on social media:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thehometownholler?si=f0vFneLZWVVawRBV

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehometownholler

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hometownholler

Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/thehometownholler.bsky.social

Twitter/X: https://x.com/hometown_holler

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehometownholler

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheHometownHoller